Senate election trial: Counties ordered to check ballots

[Why Syzygy]

Source: Bemidjipioneer - Bemidjipioneer MN

Senate election trial: Counties ordered to check ballots
Scott Wente Bemidji Pioneer
Published Friday, February 27, 2009

In the judges’ order, county election officials are asked to open the “secrecy envelope” for an identified list of voters and, without looking at the ballot, determine whether the voter also placed a voter registration card inside.

During the election, the sealed absentee ballots were rejected because the voter was not registered, though trial testimony has shown some voters registered when they cast their absentee ballots, but put the registration information in the sealed secrecy envelope rather than in an outer envelope.

The counties are told to document the ballot envelopes for which there are completed registrations, no registrations and incomplete registrations. Those lists must be sent to the Secretary of State’s Office.

The court wants the work completed by 4 p.m. Wednesday, “in order to expedite proceedings” in the case.

Read more: http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=21835§ion=news

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Additional links:

http://www.echopress.com/articles/index.cfm?id=63164§ion=news
Minnesota voters – and even politically engaged college students – have little interest in details of the prolonged U.S. Senate election trial, Mengelkoch said.

“I think they’re lost,” Mengelkoch said last Friday. “I don’t know anybody who follows it, because it’s infuriating.

“I’m fascinated by it just because it’s so excruciating,” Mengelkoch added

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/113495/
Duluth city clerk Jeff Cox was subpoenaed to testify at the U.S. Senate recount trial Thursday, but he refused because of inadequate reimbursement, according to court documents filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court.

Cox was subpoenaed by Al Franken in the case between Franken and Norm Coleman. Cox received a check for $105 from Franken for his time and travel, but the city of Duluth contested, writing that Cox should have been compensated about $1,151, or $60 per hour plus mileage and meals.

http://www.minnpost.com/jayweiner/2009/02/26/7011/coleman-franken_trial_lillehaug%E2%80%99s_oj_moment_and_the_slippery_envelopes
The envelope

There was a method to his thoroughness with Minneapolis Elections Director Cindy Reichert.

Of course, one of the major controversies of this recount has been the so-called missing 133 ballots from a University of Minnesota-area precinct. They were lost when, it seems, one envelope of five Tyvek envelopes being transferred from the precinct to the city’s elections warehouse somehow disappeared.

Tyvek is that shiny, thin, white material that special envelopes are made of and that important mail comes in. They’re strong. They’re water-resistant.

[Why Syzygy]

1. Should have used one of the other headlines.

note to self

[Cleita]

2. Oh boy! Things are getting interesting and I still think Al Franken

will come out ahead. When is Coleman going to realize he's done? Some one on TV last night posited that Coleman wasn't fighting to be senator. He knows he lost, but that he's trying to obstruct Franken being seated as long as possible as part of a larger movement of the Republican Party to obstruct the Democrats and Obama as much as they can.

[Cleita]

3. ...

:kick: